Effect of Paclitaxel-Eluting Versus Sirolimus-Eluting Stents on Coronary Restenosis in Korean Diabetic Patients

Background: With the introduction of drug-eluting stents (DES), the angiographic rates of restenosis have reduced dramatically but less prominently, in diabetic patients. We compared the effects of sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) versus paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) on 6-month angiographic and clinical outcomes in Korean diabetic patients. Method: Diabetic patients with tie novo coronary lesions (169 patients with 190 lesions) were randomly assigned to either SES or PES in six different cardiovascular centers from April 2005 to January 2006 Patients with vessel size >2.0 mm and <2 vessel diseases requiring <2 DES implantation were included in the study. Results: Baseline clinical and angiographic characteristics were similar between the two groups. At 6-month follow-up, the late lumen loss (0.26 +/- 0.76 in the SES group vs. 0.39 +/- 0.92 mm in the PES group, P = 0.356) and the rate of binary restenosis (2.8% [n = 2] in the SES group vs. 6.9% [n = 5] in the PES group, P = 0.441) showed no significant differences. Rates of death (1.2% [n = 1] in the SES group vs. 1.2% [n = 1] in the PES group, P = 1.000), myocardial infarction (1.2% [n = 1] in the SES group vs. 1.2% [n = 1] in the PES group, P = 1.000), and target lesion revascularization (2.4% [n = 2] in the SES group vs. 4.8% [n = 4] in the PES group, P = 0.443) were similar in both groups during 6 months of follow-up. Conclusion: The use of either SES or PES demonstrated similar 6-month angiographic and clinical outcomes in Korean diabetic patients with coronary artery disease. (J Interven Cardiol 2008 21:225-231)